Islamic research

UK citizens make up the largest proportion of foreign mercenaries in Syria, according to a new report published by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization. The ICSR stated that 17.9% of gunmen in Syria were from the UK, based on their database of fighters identified from their social …

Five Muslim community workers have accused MI5 of waging a campaign of blackmail and harassment in an attempt to recruit them as informants. The men claim they were given a choice of working for the Security Service or face detention and harassment in the UK and overseas. They have made …

A former EDL member who stormed a mosque in Essex in a revenge attack for the murder of British soldier, Lee Rigby in Woolwich says he’s sorry. Geoff Ryan, 44, embraced the Imam of Braintree Mosque and said: “I’m sorry.” Last year Mr Ryan entered Al Falah Centre armed with …

A grieving Luton family have appealed to the British ambassador in Islamabad for help in bringing their father’s killer to justice. Mahmood Hussain Shah, 62, of Claremont Road was shot in the back on March 10 as he went out for a pint of milk in the village of Dhamali …

Once a preserve of Christian charities, Muslim-run food banks are now catering for diverse communities in need. The Sufra food bank, run from a small community centre on a north-west London housing estate, is in high demand. The Muslim charity’s Wednesday afternoon session sees a constant stream of people coming to …

A group of Iranians, including a nine-year-old girl, have taken three British banks to court, saying their accounts were closed based on ethnic reasons. About twenty Iranians are suing the three high-street UK banks, RBS, NatWest and Lloyds for what they call misreading the sanctions policy in closing their accounts …

As a charity bids to boost feminism among Muslim women,  Shelina Janmohamed asks why British female Muslims would want to join a feminist movement born in the West, which asks women of faith to leave their religion at the door. Everyone loves Malala Yousufzai, right? Fearless, inspiring and courageous, she is the …

A young Muslim girl has received the new Respectful Citizenship Award from the governor of Wolfville in eastern Canadian maritime province of Nova Scotia in recognition of her efforts in building interfaith relations and collecting charity for those in need. “She is kind, conscientious and mature beyond her years,” Angie …

Darren Aronofksy’s Noah could be banned across large swaths of the Middle East and parts of north Africa for contravening Islamic rules on the depiction of prophets,according to the Hollywood Reporter. The fantasy epic, which stars Russell Crowe as the biblical patriarch, has already been refused a licence by censors in Qatar, Bahrain and …

The head of the British Veterinary Association has said that religious slaughter methods need to change to prevent animal suffering. It is unfortunate that the BVA and other animal welfare organisations in the UK tend to view religious slaughter as incompatible with humaneness; quite the contrary is true – compassion and …